Claylands Local Nature Reserve

Claylands covers 8.29 hectares. It lies on the urban fringe of Bishop's Waltham and is well used by local people, comprising secondary woodland, grassy and scrub covered south facing slopes forming the banks of an old clay working, a meadow which was landfill, two neutral grassland meadows and a number of ponds in which is a very large population of Great Crested newts.

Harvey's Meadow (4.3 acres) was acquired from a local farmer in 1997, with the help of local donations. Harvey's Meadow is not currently within the SINC designation but could warrant inclusion following favourable management.

Management
Grazing is currently carried out by between four and six highland cattle in September and October every year over all the grassland habitats in the reserve. The reserve has two small meadows and the banks of the old pit form an important grassland community which is under constant threat of scrubbing over. The grasslands are species rich and excellent for invertebrates with an abundance of nectar sources.

The banks of the pit face south east and therefore form an ideal habitat for invertebrates. Secondary woodland, mainly deciduous, woodland blocks can be found at either end of the banks of the pit. Woodland includes a small number of Scots Pines and Turkey Oaks, but is predominantly Hawthorn, Pendunculate Oak and some Hazel and Ash. The northern most boundary of the site consists of a very old hedge considered to be once part of the parklug of the Palace of Bishop's Waltham. A sessile oak has been identified as growing in this hedge. There are other more indistinct hedges around the boundary of the claypit which in due course are planned to be laid.

Some 14 ponds have been created in recent years to help expand the Great Crested Newt breeding habitat. These ponds vary in size and ability to hold water. Some limited pond work has been carried out most winters to enlarge or reseal existing ponds or to create further small ponds. The ponds are being planted with appropriate local native aquatic and marginal species mainly from existing ponds within the Parish of Bishop's Waltham. Claylands is one of only two sites in Hampshire where French Oat-grass (Gaudinia fragilis) is found (the other is in a meadow at Curdridge.)

Noteable species include Pepper saxifrage (Sileum sileus), corky-fruited dropwort ( Oenanthe pimpinelloides), Slender Birds-foot trefoil (Lotus angustissimus), Grass Vetchling (Lathyrus nissolia), Strawberry Clover(Trifolium fragiferum), and Quaking Grass (Briza media).

There are also large populations of common spotted orchids on the banks of the reserve. The site is thought to have one of the highest populations of Great Crested newts in the country. Extensive pond creation and management work has been carried out to ensure that the population can continue to grow from this stronghold, including moves to influence pond creation and management in adjacent landholdings to allow the species to spread further.

Contact us
The Westwood Office, The Park Centre, Netley Abbey, Southampton, Hampshire SO31 5GA
email areasouth.countryside@hants.gov.uk
tel 023 8045 6484.